The first FT8 Roundup over the December 1 – 2 weekend attracted some 1,300 logs from those taking advantage of the ever-more-popular digital protocol. This, despite its having been announced on fairly short notice and with other contests such as the ARRL 160-Meter Contest under way on the same weekend. More than 400 logs were from US radio amateurs in the 48 contiguous states, plus the District of Columbia. Overall, some 131,200 contacts were recorded. Participants from 91 countries submitted logs, testifying to the fact that FT8 is not just an US phenomenon. Continue reading →

For the 13th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets will be presenting The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good girls and boys can talk to Santa Claus, via amateur radio, nightly at 7:30 PM (Central) starting Friday, November 23, 2018. The Santa Net will run nightly at 7:30 PM Central through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018.

Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, “Christmastime is our favorite time of the year on 3.916 MHz. Our group thoroughly enjoys helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they’ll always remember. In addition, Santa Net has introduced a lot of young people to the magic of amateur radio.”

Youngsters can talk to “Santa at The North Pole” via strategically placed operators who relay the voice of Santa. Thomson said that The Santa Net is a team effort that involves the efforts…

A CCARC Foundation member recently upgraded from VK2FGTX to VK2VGA; nothing unusual about that, except ‘Young Dave’ (as he is known) is not only going for his Year 10 exams, but also helped design the Club’s new interactive web page (to go online soon). As you can tell from his VK2VGA callsign, he is really into computers. Continue reading →

I presented some radio content at some ham clubs regarding SOTA and NVIS activities. What became apparent that there is confusion because NVIS requires a different antenna configuration (basic dipole 10 feet off the ground) that makes it all confusing? It is not. Read onward please

Bonnie has done a lot of research in NVIS use out in the field.

Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:57 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

The pronunciation of the NVIS initialism as “Enn-Viss” is probably the most common, or else spelled out: “Enn-Vee-Aye-Ess” (N.V.I..S)
I’ve also heard ops say: “Knee -Vuss” and “Nev-Iss”.
Give it some time, someone will call it Knee Vice 🙂

NVIS IS ABOUT FREQUENCY CHOICE

NVIS: Frequency choice is way way more important than antenna height.

Often, just moving 250 kHz can make a huge difference in NVIS signal.
Commercial and Governmental stations that intentionally utilize NVIS